If you’ve ever entertained the idea of “dining and dashing” or running off on a restaurant bill without paying, beware. One man is facing a maximum of 16 years and 10 months in prison for repeatedly doing so on dates, according to a Friday press release from the Los Angeles district attorney.
Over the course of two years, Paul Guadalupe Gonzales went on dates with more than 20 women who all claim he skipped out after dinner and left them ― and sometimes the restaurants ― with the bill. The women, whom Gonzales met via dating apps, said he would quickly wolf down his expensive meal, then make an excuse to leave the table and never return.
“The defendant now faces a total of 11 felony counts of extortion, two felony counts of attempted extortion, two misdemeanor counts of defrauding an innkeeper by non-payment and one misdemeanor count of petty theft,” Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s office said.
Inside Edition interviewed the victims and confronted Gonzales on camera earlier this year. The camera-shy Gonzales would not respond to the reporter’s questions and, as is his style, dashed away. Gonzales’ bail is set at $315,000, or a little over 3,000 high-end steak dinners.